A
Bird’s – eye View of the History of the Borgia Family

A
D

Borgia History

World History

Arts and Letters

Alfonso de Borja (Borgia), the future
pope Calixtus III is born at Xativa, province of Valencia

1412

Ferdinand de Antequerra is
elected king to the Crown of Aragon

1417

End of the Western Schism

1423

Death of pope Benedictus
XIII at Peñiscola

1429

Alfonso Borgia is appointed
bishop of Valencia

1431

Rodrigo de Borja (Borgia), the
future pope Alexander VI is born at Xativa

Donatello erects the tabernacle
in the sacristy of the Saint Peter in Rome

1444

Alfonso Borgia is appointed a
cardinal

1449

Rodrigo and Pedro Luis Borgia
arrive in Rome

1453

Constantinopel falls into
the hands of Mohamed II the Ottoman sultan

1454

Alfonso Borgia is elected pope under
the name of Calixtus III

1455

Rodrigo Borgia and Juan del
Mila are appointed cardinals by their uncle pope Calixtus III

The Turcs invade Greece. Victory of the Christians at Belgrade

The first printed book – the Gutenberg
Bible- leaves the printing press

1456

Andrea Mantegna paints the Pala
in Verona.

Leon Battista Alberti builds
the Santa Maria Novella at Florence

1458

Death of Calixtus III

Pius II Piccolimi is elected
pope

1459

Benozzo Gozzoli paints the fresco
Journey of the Magi in the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi at Florence

1464

Death of Pius II. Election
of Paulus II Barbo

1468

Isabel
de Borja, Rodrigos mother, dies

1468-1470

Pedro Luis, Jeronima and Isabel,
children of cardinal Rodrigo Borgia are born

1469

Lorenzo de Medici, also known
as the Magnificent, assumes power at Florence.

Also in Spain Ferdinand of
Aragon weds Isabella of Castilia

1471

Death of Paulus II . Sixtus IV
della Rovere is elected pope

1472-1473

Journey of cardinal Borgia to
Valencia and Castilia

1474-1481

Most intimate period in the
relation of Rodrigo Borgia and Vannozza Cattanei

1474

Death of Sixtus IV. Election
of Inocentius VIII Cibo

Andrea Mantegna finishes the
frescoes of the Ducal Palaca at Mantua(Camera degli Sposi)

1475

Birth of Cesare Borgia, son of
cardinal Rodrigo and Vanozza Catanei

Birth of Michelangelo
Buonarotti. Angelo
Poloziano writes Le Stanze

1476

Vanozza Catanei contracts a
marriage of convenience first with Domenica D’Arignanom then, after his
decease, with Giorgio della Croce. Birth of the second child of the cardinal
and Vanozza, Juan Borgia.

1480

Birth of Lucrezia, daughter of
the cardinal and Vanozza.

Andrea Mantegna paints The
Dead Christ.

Hieronymous Bosch paints The seven Capital Sins.

1481

Birth of Jofré, the fourth son
of cardinal Borgia. A bull of pope Sixtus IV attributes to the children of
Rodrigo and Vanozza the status of “nephews”.

Institution of the
Inquisition in Spain against the pseudo converted jews and arabs.

Leonardo da Vinci paints The
Adoration of the magi

1482

Sandro Botticelli paints Spring

1483

Birth of Martin Luther.

Torquemada is inquisitor
general of the kingdoms of Castilia and Aragon.

Charles VIII succeeds to the
throne of France after the death of Louis XI

Leonardo da Vinci paints his Madonna in the Grotto.

Birth of Rafael

1484

Charles VIII is crowned at Reims.

Pope Sixtus IV dies and is
succeeded by Innocentius VIII

Botticelli paints the Birth
of Venus

1485

Pope Innocentius VIII
declares war against the king of Naples, Ferdinand of Aragon. Lorenzo de Medici allies with the latter.

Innocentius VIII and
Ferdinand of Aragon, with thanks to Lorenzo de Medici, end their war and sign
the peace.

1487

Lucrezia Borgia is entrusted to
Adriana Orsini, cousin of Rodrigo Borgia, to receive her education.

Pico della Mirandola publishes Conclusiones
( Nine hundred theses on the history of men), in which he summarizes all
of human knowledge.

1488

Death of Pedro Luis, son of
Rodrigo and first Borgia duke of Gandia

1490

In Venice Aldo Manuzio founds his publishing house.

Vittorio Carpaccio paints the
Courtesans

1491

Lucrezia Borgia is promised in
marrige to two fiancés at the same time.

Hans Memling paints the Triptych
of the Crucifixion

1492

Cardinal Rodrigo receives in
Rome groups of Spanish Jews who had been evicted from their country following
an edict of the catholic king.

Rodrigo Borgia is elected pope
and takes the name Alexander VI

The catholic king of Spain succeeds in driving the Arabs out of the Iberian peninsula by the conquest of Granada.

At Florence Lorenzo de Medici, the Magnificent, dies.

Christopher Columbus
discovers the New Continent.

Piero
della Francesca dies.

Pintoricchio starts working on
the frescoes in the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican.

1493

Lucrezia Borgia is united in matrimony
with Giovanni Sforza, nephew of the Duke of Milano, to reinforce the alliance
with France.

Cesare is appointed a cardinal
by his father pope Alexander VI.

Marriage of Juan Borgia in
Barcelona

Publishing of the papal
bulls concerning the newly discovered lands Alexander VI signs the bull Inter
Coetera regulating the division of the West Indies between Portugal and
Spain.

Ferrara,
Palazzo dei Diamanti

1494

Marriage of Jofre Borgia with
Sancha de Aragon.

To protect them for the risk of
a French invasion, Alexander VI sends Lucrezia Borgia, Giulia Farnese and the
latters aunt, Adriana Orsini, to Pesaro.

The French invade Italy. Charles VIII occupies Rome

Spain and Portugal modify
the papal bull Inter Coetera and in Tordesillas they sign a new treaty about
the division of the western lands

Albrecht Dürer paints his
Selfportrait.

Pintoricchio begins working on The
Dispute of Saint Catherine with Lucrezia Borgia serving as the model for
the saint.

Andrea Mantegna paints The
triumph of Cesare.

Pico
della Mirandola dies

1495

Alexander VI sides with the
League of Venice against Charles VIII

Charles VIII in Naples.
Retreat and defeat of the French

Sandro
Botticelli paints La calumnia

Leonardo in Milano starts
working on The last Supper

1496

Juan Borgia flees to Gandia.
Campaign against the Orsini clan

1497

Assassination of Juan Borgia,
duke of Gándia, presumably at the hands of his brother Cesare.

Alexander VI annuls the marriag
of his daughter Lucrezia to Giovanni Sforza.

Alexander VI excommunicates
Girolamo Savonarola

Girolamo Savonarola , a
Dominican prior of San Marco at Florence, is excommunicated because he preaches against the
degeneration of religious customs.

Giovanni Caboto, a Venetian
navigator serving England, sails to the American continent.

Vasco da Gama circumvents
the Cape of Good Hope.

Michelangelo commences
sculpting the Pieta

1498

Lucrezia Borgia gives birth to
a son, the “Roman infant”, presumably born out of her realation with Perotto
a servant of the pope. Cesare murders Perotto.

Marriage of Lucrezia with
Alfonso de Aragona, son of king Alfonso of Naples.

Cesare lays down the cardinal’s
hat and travels to France.

In Florence Girolamo
Savanorola is burnt at the stake.

Charles VIII dies and is
succeeded by Louis XII, who, as a token of his good intentention towards the
Vatican, offers to Cesare Borgia the hand of Charlotte d’ Albret.

Albrecht Dürer realises a series
of xylographies on the Apocalypse

1499

In France Cesare Borgia weds
Charlotte d’Albrêt and leads Louis XII into alliance with the pope.

Lucrezia Borgia is appointed
regent of Spoleto

First campaign of Cesare in the
Romagna

Louis XII in Milano

1500

Alexanders VI inaugurates the
Year of the Jubilee.

Successes of Cesare, captain
general of the Church

Assasination of Alfonso de
Aragona, spouse of Lucrezia, by order of Cesare Borgia.

The Portugese discover
Brasilia

Hieronymous Bosch paints The
ship of Fools

1501

Pope Alexander VI authorizes
Louis XII to cross the Papal Lands to enable the conquest of Naples. In
return the king will support a new marriage of Lucrezia with the heir of the
duchy of Ferrara, Alfonso d’Este.

Alexander VI confiscates the
castles and territories of the roman barons.

Conquests of Cesare in central
Italy. Cesare becomes duke of Romagna.

The French armies occupy
Naples

1502

Lucrezia Borgia becomes duchess
of Ferrara

The captains’ conspiracy
against Cesare

Bramante begins the
construction of the Tempietto in the Saint Peter in Montorio At Rome
commissioned by the catholic king of Spain.

1503

Vendetta of the Borgias against the Orsini clan

Death of Alexander VI

Cesare is arrested by order of
the new pope Julius II

Alexander VI dies and is
succeeded, first by Pius III Piccolomini, then by Julius II della Rovere.

At the court of Ferrara
Lecrezia Borgia meets the poet Pietro Bembo, who will play an important role
in her life.

1504

Cesare Borgia is made prisoner
by order of Julius II. He is detained in Naples and later sent to Navarra

Isabella of Castilia, the
catholic, dies.

Albrecht Dürer makes The
Adoration of the Magi, Michelangelo his David, Raphael the Marriage
of the Virgin, and Hieronymous Bosch the Garden of Delights.

1505

Alfonso d ‘Este and Lucrezia
Borgia inherit the duchy of Ferrara after the death of Ercole d’ Este.

Pietro Bembo composes The
Asolani which he dedicates to Lucrezia Borgia

1506

Lucrezia, acting as regent of
Ferrara in absence of her husband, issues an edict in favour of the Jews.

Bramante begins the
construction of the Saint Peter in Rome

1507

Cesare Borgia escapes from the fortress
of Medina del Campo, where he was impriosoned by order of Julius II.

Cesare Borgia dies at Viana

Vittore Carpaccio paints the Saint
George series

1508

Lucrezia hosts Erasmus of
Rotterdam at the court of Ferrara.

Institution of the League of
Cambrai against the Republic of Venice

Giorgione paints The
Tempest.

Michelangelo commences painting
the ceiling of the Sixtine Chapel

1509

At Ferrara a son is born to
Lucrezia Borgia, named Ippolito d ‘Este, who will become a cardinal.

Henri VIII becomes king of
England

Erasmus of Rotterdam writes Praise
of Folly

1510

Julius II annuls the accord
that was concluded between the Church and the duchy of d’Este under pope
Alexander VI on the occasion of the marriage between Lucrezia and Alfonso.

Franciscus Borgia is born

Julius II accepts the offer
of the bishop of Sion to have the defence of the Church in Rome entrusted to
the Swiss cavalry

Death of Sandro Boticelli.

Raphael paints the Stanze
of the Vatican.

1511

Alfonso d’Este gains victory
over Julius II at the Bastida of the Fossa Geniola

Giorgione dies

1513

Julius II dies and the new
Medici pope, Leo X, annuls the papal interdicton on Ferrara, thanks to the intercession
of Bembo, who in the Vatican acts as protector of Lucrezia and the d’Estes.

Lucrezia Borgia enter the
Tertiary Order of Saint Francis.

Michelangelo starts sculpting
the Moses which he will finish two years later.

Niccolò Machiavelli writes The
Prince

1515

Francis I becomes king of
France

Ludovico Ariosto at Ferrara
publishes Orlando Furioso

1516

Lucrezia Borgia receives at the
court of Ferrara Titian and entrusts him with various commissions.